Hero's Welcome
by Pir8grl
Summary: The Doctor finally finds Gallifrey and is reminded of all the reasons why he left in the first place.


The Doctor and the General were staring at one another with enough intensity to restart the Time War all on their own.

"Stop it!" Clara exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief. "The War is over! We didn't come all this way just to pick a fight."

The Doctor drew in a sharp breath. "Quite right, my dear."

Clara wrapped her small hand around the Doctor's and smiled up at him. He returned the smile, feeling instantly calmer.

"How dare you bring a human here, now, to witness our shame?" the General blustered.

"You owe your continued existence to her intervention. Who do you think stopped me from pressing that button?"

"What hold can a mere human from Earth have over a Time Lord of Gallifrey?" the General sneered.

"She is his friend," a gentle voice admonished.

The General turned and bowed stiffly. "My Lady."

"It's been a long time," the Doctor said, courteously inclining his head.

The Time Lady smiled, and reached out to touch Clara's cheek softly. "She is his friend, and he could not bear to see her weep."

"The Doctor is notorious for his choice of 'friends.' If the human shed tears, they were for him, not us."

"She has a name," the Time Lady replied, with a hint of steel in her voice, "and a warm and caring soul. I can see why the Doctor might prefer her company to your own. I believe you have a great deal of work to attend to. You are dismissed, General."

The General compressed his lips, knowing himself to be outranked by a Council Member. He spun on his heel and silently stalked away.

"Thank you," the Doctor muttered, visibly relaxing.

"How did you know that?" Clara wondered. "I mean about…"

The Time Lady smiled graciously. "I have the authority to access The Moment's interface. I know what happened that day. We owe you a very great debt, Lady Clara Oswald of Earth."

"So you were conscious and aware while you were trapped here?" the Doctor asked intently.

"We were."

"Were you one of the ones who was listening on the other side of that crack?" Clara asked suddenly.

"I was."

"Then…I think maybe I'm the one who owes you a debt."

"What's this?" the Doctor demanded, confused.

The Time Lady laughed, a warm, rich, delighted sound. "Oh, my old friend…did you not know that you also owe your continued existence to this girl? Did she never tell you how we came to gift you with a new regeneration cycle?"

"Clara?"

"When…when you left me, that last time on Trenzalore…when you went out there to die…I asked them to help you."

"She reminded us that the name you chose for yourself was all that we, or anyone else, needed to know about you. She was right."

The Doctor turned to Clara with wonder in his eyes. "I knew _**what**_ was happening immediately, but I couldn't imagine _**how**_. But it was you, Clara. You saved me _**again**_. And you never said."

And then his arms were around her, and her voice was muffled against the front of his jacket. "I had you back. That was all that mattered." 

* * *

The Time Lady reached out her hand to touch the battered blue box. "This is the most thoroughly disreputable time capsule in existence. You must let me provide you with a new one. It's the very least I can do."

The TARDIS emitted a series of distinctly disgruntled burbles, clearly heard by all three humanoids standing outside her doors.

"Hush, girl," Clara murmured, patting the door affectionately.

"Thank you, but no," the Doctor replied. "We've been through, well, everything together, she and I. I couldn't even begin to imagine going on without her."

"At least let our technicians give it a good overhaul."

"They wouldn't like what they find. I've made a great many special modifications over time. Besides, you need all your resources to set things to rights here."

"You could be one of those resources, Doctor."

"I think not. I'm not good with domestics. Or rules. Or chains of command."

Clara took his hand. "After all you went through to get here, you should stay a while. It's your home."

"But it's not yours. Your dad…your job…"

"Time machine," Clara reminded him, with a small smile.

"The Lady Clara helped save us all. She is welcome, should she wish to stay."

The Doctor laid his free hand against the TARDIS, feeling the vibration of her barely contained energy through his palm. "This ship has been my home for so many centuries…ever since Clara brought us together." He squeezed her hand affectionately. "I don't really know any other way to live…not anymore."

The Time Lady smiled gently. "There will always be a place here for you."

"I know. Thank you." With a final look around, the Doctor tugged Clara into the TARDIS with him and sent them off into the vortex.

"Who is she?" Clara asked curiously. "Why do I feel as if I should know her?"

"She's…the only one of my people who ever really accepted me, just as I am. She's quite a bit like you, in that respect…or perhaps, you're like her." He ran his hand lovingly along the console. "You, and she, and the TARDIS…I wonder why any of you put up with me."

"D'you really need to ask?" Clara asked intently.

The Doctor looked up to see her gentle smile, and her warm and trusting eyes. "No, I don't suppose I do," he murmured. 


End file.
